But it is in my Kawasaki powered John Deere 325 garden tractor.

Changed the filter and realized I did not have my usual oil.
Used some 15w-40 synthetic, and went about my weekly mowing.
After about 3 hours of mowing I started smelling that burning oil smell, so I stopped and checked it out.
Leaking from somewhere, but I could not tell exactly where.
Tore the numerous covers off the engine and found a leak at a gasketed surface on the engine cases.
Too hard to get to during the mowing season, so I drained the synthetic and dumped some left over 20w-50 dino in it.
Finished the job, drained the 20w-50 out, and went to town for the usual 10w-40.
Leak has not returned.
Guess the synthetic cleaned the guts out of the engine!
JD is 9 years old and has seen very severe use, sometimes being used to mow 12 acres of rough coastal bermuda/bahaia pasture.

 

Skip put some valvoline maxlife syn blend (not the full synthetic in it) it has some esters in it that cause seal &amp\\; gasket swell. I have run that in some high mileage "leakers" and it sealed up all of them nicely.

 

Remind me not to buy a used vehicle off you!

 

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Believe me you don't want them when I am done. Because the last stop for a vehicle in my house is my teenage daughter (s). Not to worry.....none of the cars has survived yet. We drive them 150,000 miles and turn them over to the kids. But maxlife is a very good oil for the price.

 

It's not that synthetic causes leaks \\; the old cliche is ,&nbsp\\;if there is a leak , synthetic will find it .&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\; ha ha

 

I agree. It will find any weak areas of sealing and try to escape. It's also why it lubes much better on tight tolerances and wicks up the cylinders to help prevent dry starts.
Ron

 

Shoot, when my oldest was still at home and I turned something over to him, he always managed to blow it up or total it within a month or so!

 

I had the same problem on my 1998 dyna

 

Does your tractor have a shovelhead engine? It can't be lol